The Blue Nile and White Nile

The two major tributaries of the Nile River are the Blue Nile and White Nile. The striking difference between them is their color. The Blue Nile, which begins in the mountains of Ethiopia, starts off with a bright blue color. As it passes through Sudan, however, it picks up black sediment that gives it a darker hue. The White Nile, which begins in the forests of Rwanda and flows through Lake Victoria, is a whitish-gray color, due to the light gray sediment it carries. Although the White Nile is longer than the Blue Nile, the Blue Nile carries around two-thirds of the Nile’s water supply. The two Nile tributaries join together near the city of Khartoum, and when the Nile River reaches Egypt, it divides into two branches, known as the Damietta on the right and the Rosetta on the left, which empty into the Mediterranean Sea.